


Unseen

by NatalieRyan



Series: Whumptober 2020 [3]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Ambushed, Choking, Cuddles, Day 3, Drugged/Poisoned, Gen, Head Wound, Jack Whump, Kidnapped, Mac Whump, Panic, Panic Attacks, Panicking, Stabbing, Torture, Whump, Whumptober 2020, manhandled, pistol whipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:35:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26801515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NatalieRyan/pseuds/NatalieRyan
Summary: Mac sighed, Jack's hand on his neck like a brand. He wanted to lean into the comfort, but at the same time he wanted to hide. He knew he fucked up and he was going to get reamed for hiding things from Jack.His breath hitched when Jack pulled his scarf a bit, where the worst of his bruises was hidden under. The look on Jack's face was unreadable as his eyes roved over the skin of his neck and throat and Mac knew that when it came to him Jack had an x-ray vision so he probably saw the bruises on his jaw as well.Mac held his breath as Jack inspected him. Then he was surprised as Jack pulled him in a hug and said breath escaped him in a whoosh.Jack was trembling as he held him and Mac wrapped careful arms around Jack, his ribs and side still tender from the beating and electrocution he took and the almost-scare they got with the slash to Jack's side.
Relationships: Jack Dalton & Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016)
Series: Whumptober 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948579
Comments: 29
Kudos: 59
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Unseen

**Author's Note:**

> How is it day 3 already? This month will go by so fast, I can feel it. And it makes me feel unprepared with the rest of the stories, aaaaah.   
> Today on the menu we have “My Way or the Highway” as main prompt and the three others are: manhandled, forced to their knees, and held at gunpoint. I chose manhandled, because it fit with my idea the most. I can’t remember where this one came from, but I know that once I saw the pics from Lucas with the vacay stubble my mind went, what if that stubble hid some bruises? And then my brain supplied me with the thought of Mac being grabbed by the chin, strong enough to leave bruises, and I couldn’t help but have some bruises from choking on the neck, and Mac in a scarf trying to hide them. Oh, and lots of angst. And whump. I whumped my two boys for this one.   
> Trigger warning for panic attacks. One almost happens at the hospital when Mac and Desi have their talk and one at home with Mac and Jack. Nothing too graphic, but thought I should warn just in case.   
> As for the drug-poison, I literally hand waved it, because I needed Jack to stay on the floor, and that way amp the angst a little bit more. Tee-hee, are you surprised?   
> Hope they (or y’all) won’t hate me.   
> Thanks as always to N1ghtshade for listening me whine, yell and scream while I was writing it, betaing it after, and helping me with the title.   
> Happy reading!

***Present day***

In hindsight, Mac should have known that trying to hide something from Jack was going to backfire spectacularly. Especially with the possum growing on his face that worked in his favor the longer he was kept and after he had neither the will nor the strength to shave afterwards. 

But, as with everything in Mac's life, he had no luck of fooling Jack. Besides Jack always said he was a great undercover operative, but lying outside of the job was failing spectacularly. Which in turn had him scratch his head wondering how he managed with fooling Bozer for so long. 

Mac sighed, Jack's hand on his neck like a brand. He wanted to lean into the comfort, but at the same time he wanted to hide. He knew he fucked up and he was going to get reamed for hiding things from Jack. 

His breath hitched when Jack pulled his scarf a bit, where the worst of his bruises was hidden under. The look on Jack's face was unreadable as his eyes roved over the skin of his neck and throat and Mac knew that when it came to him Jack had an x-ray vision so he probably saw the bruises on his jaw as well. 

Mac held his breath as Jack inspected him. Then he was surprised as Jack pulled him in a hug and said breath escaped him in a whoosh. 

Jack was trembling as he held him and Mac wrapped careful arms around Jack, his ribs and side still tender from the beating and electrocution he took and the almost-scare they got with the slash to Jack's side.

... 

***A week ago***

Milk run missions were always everything but easy. Working for as long in the intelligence community as Jack did, he knew that like an unwritten rule. Which applied to their current mission as well. 

Mac was currently breaking into the warehouse where they were sent to check on a shipment of guns that was stolen from the local police. They suspected a rogue group stealing them for their purpose, so they had to check on the intel for the group's possible hideout. Which led to them currently breaking in. Well, Mac was. Jack watched him working, his hand itching to get the gun out of his holster. The last thing he needed was Mac to get shot by someone trigger happy. 

The moment Jack thought of it, it was as if he activated a curse. 

The door opened under Mac's skilled hands and he twisted the handle, when Jack caught Mac's hand and used it to pull Mac behind him. 

"Considering they could be our thieves, I should go in first." 

"Yeah, yeah, you are right." 

No sooner had Jack entered the warehouse, he was attacked. He had no time to even clear the place as someone kicked his gun and came at him. He landed on the floor with a guy armed to the teeth currently stomping on his chest as one of his hands came for Jack's throat. The guy had no chance to do that because Jack recovered quickly and caught the hand and twisted. He managed to flip the guy off and delivered a swift kick that put the guy out of commision for the moment, but not before he landed a good kick to Jack's midriff. 

With one glance he saw Mac had two guys sprawled on the floor. And when Jack got back to his corner of the warehouse it was too late because in the next moment he felt something sharp in his side. Jack tried to fight off whatever it was that spread searing pain through his body, but was falling and his body went limp without his consent. 

He watched helplessly as one of the guys pulled at his kid from behind and caught Mac in a chokehold. The guy that attacked Jack jumped over Jack's unmoving form and went to help his buddy. He pocketed the blade he used, which Jack belatedly realized was one of those butterfly knives. His side was burning and when he tried to move, the pain was unbearable. 

Then the second guy was kicking Mac in the stomach and if the other one wasn't holding Mac, he was going to drop on the floor. The arm around Mac's throat tightened and all Jack could do was lay there and watch as they kicked his kid, another punch flying to Mac's left cheek, followed by another kick to his stomach. Mac was desperately trying to take a breath and Jack tried to yell, but no words came out of his mouth. 

He had no idea why they left him there, injured, but not dead. 

Jack didn't have to wonder long, because guy number one let go of Mac suddenly, Mac wheezing as his hands automatically went to his throat. Guy number two swiped at Mac's legs with a well placed kick and Mac went down hard, yelping when a steel-booted foot kicked him, hard, on the ribs. 

Mac was disoriented and Jack wondered what was their plan when they pulled up zip ties and after they secured Mac's hands behind his back, guy number one clocked Mac on the head with his gun. 

Dread filled Jack's gut as he saw Mac go completely limp and then his partner was dragged away. 

Jack made one last attempt to move, but he couldn't even move his fingers. Panic rose to his chest, between being unable to move and Mac being taken, Jack succumbed to the darkness looming in the corner of his eyes. 

... 

Mac had a bad feeling about this mission from the get-go. The intel, the inspection to see if there were any weapons from the stolen shipment, how much Jack was on edge. And how restless he was behind him as Mac picked the lock. 

And it turned out Mac was right because the moment they got through the door, they were attacked. 

And then Jack was stabbed. And Mac was held in a chokehold and trying to claw his way out because he needed air and he also needed to help Jack, because Jack was on the floor, not moving, and if it wasn't for his eyes, full with worry and fear, Mac wouldn't have been able to tell if Jack was dead or alive. 

It was alarming how still Jack was and Mac wondered what else he missed. Because Jack had walked with far worse stab wounds than the current one. 

Mac tried to get a good look at Jack while also trying not to groan in pain as he was punched and kicked. And then the world went black. 

...

When Mac woke up next, his head was pulsing with a splitting headache and he could feel blood slowly trickling down his temple. He was somewhere in a dark, moldy room, with only one window high up that Mac couldn't reach even if he wasn't tied up. He was lying on the cold, concrete floor and it took a bit for his eyes to get used to the darkness, but once he did, he noticed that there was nothing in the room except empty walls and himself. Whoever had him must have known about Mac's penchant to get out of places it was impossible to break out of. 

He tried to move his hands and the rope he was tied with chafed against the wounds on his wrists. There was something metallic digging into his wrists as well and after some additional attempts, Mac determined it were cuffs. 

Someone was really worried that Mac would escape if he wasn't all tied up. 

On top of it all, his legs were tied around the knees and ankles. 

Fear spread through Mac as he realized that they were probably duped on purpose and that trying to get out of this situation would be impossible. 

Unless the team found Jack and Jack could tell them what happened. If Jack was even alive. Whatever they did with him had his partner unmoving on the floor. 

Mac was scared for Jack. 

And even more scared about why they took him. What was their purpose? Were they going to ransom him out? Or keep him until they killed him? Did they leave Jack? Or they came back and finished him off? 

Mac felt a tear slide down his temple thanks to the position he was in and it stung when it came in contact with the head wound. 

He was probably concussed as all hell. 

How much time did it pass? Was it still the same day? He wished he could get his hands out of the rope and cuffs. Then he could feel his stubble and know how long it had been. Something Jack insisted he try and practice on. You never knew when you were going to shave next. 

Mac luckily did not have much facial hair to be able to grow a full beard, but he sometimes indulged in a stubble. And by indulging he meant he wasn't able to shave as often as he wanted to with running back to back missions. 

And what led to him sporting some of that stubble when this mission started. 

...

By the time the door opened and Mac was pulled by his arms and dragged to another room, he was trying hard to stay conscious.

Mac counted the hours in his head, tried to get an estimate on how long he'd been... wherever it was here, but every time he came close to having something, his brain trailed off and he had to start anew. His head was pounding and being moved around made the room spin. He was feeling nauseous and was about to expel his breakfast or was it lunch he had before the mission? 

His brain was fuzzy at best so he didn't feel the first hit. But he did feel the pain and his lips moved on their own accord. Mac moaned in pain as he was slapped again and he knew he must have had an impressive bruise by now because he received so many hits to his left cheek. 

They didn't ask questions, just rained hits on him and once he couldn't keep his eyes open, he was dragged back to the room they kept him in. 

Mac couldn't tell the time and after a while he gave up because all he gave himself was anxiety and distress because  _ why wasn't anyone coming _ ? He tried his hardest to make his brain work, but nothing. 

Mac only hoped Jack was alive and taken care of. If Jack was well, he could take everything. Which at the moment was being choked repeatedly. Before it got too much, they released the pressure and Mac gulped in air greedily before it continued. That knocked him unconscious. 

The next time they brought him to what Mac named the torture room it was to the good old cattle prod Mac was too familiar with. By then he was so exhausted he couldn't see straight. He was hurting all over and couldn't even think. When his head started listing towards his chest, one of the guys forcefully grabbed him by the jaw and held his face steady as he jammed the cattle prod directly to Mac's side. Mac's teeth ground harshly as he tried to ride the pain. The guy left the prod connected to the flesh longer than before and Mac could hear his flesh sizzling. God, the burn was going to hurt. 

Mac let out a guttural scream as he felt blood trickle from the wound the longer he was electrocuted. And promptly lost consciousness. 

...

The next time Mac woke up, he was in a hospital room. He could feel the fabric of the hospital issued pillow underneath his head as he moved around and the nasal cannula as well as the distinct hospital smell of antiseptic and meds. 

He slowly opened his eyes and promptly slammed them shut because everything was too bright. Someone moved around him and the lights were dimmed. Jack would have dimmed them immediately no matter what, so that wasn't Jack. And the walk was wrong. It was someone he knew, but not Jack. 

"Hey, MacGyver." 

It was Desi and that alone had Mac open his eyes. Well eye, since his left was practically glued together. He was sure he looked like a squirrel whose cheek was stuffed with nuts. 

"Hey... Dez. What's... where are the others? Jack?" 

"Glad to see you too, Mac." The snark in her voice sounded off. 

And that led to Mac's heart beating a wild rhythm. Because Desi almost never showed emotions if she could help it, and here she was worried, and Mac could tell by the way she was standing above his bed, tense. 

"Desi?" 

"I'm not supposed to tell you this. But, I can't take that look in your eyes." 

The first thought that crossed Mac's mind was that Jack was dead. And Desi was sent to tell him as gently as possible. She was his Overwatch for a couple of years while Jack was hunting down Kovacs and after the failed attempt at a relationship, they became great friends. Mac was pretty sure Desi had a thing with Riley, but figured if they wanted to, they'd tell him. 

His brain was working in overdrive again and he needed Jack.  _ Where was Jack? _ Jack would know what to do. What was Desi going to say? 

He belatedly realized she was talking to him and he felt a gentle hand on his forearm and one over his heart. A technique she probably picked up from Jack himself and Mac felt tears pool into his eyes. 

"Shh, you are safe, Jack is okay, he is in his own room. Can you match your breathing with mine?" 

Mac nodded and he followed her lead. After he calmed down, he reached for her hand and held onto it. Desi squeezed back and situated herself on the bed, next to Mac's right hip. 

"Like I said, I'm not supposed to tell you this. Stop scowling, I'm not. But I am willing to spill the beans on this one because I'm sure you don't want to wait until Matty comes here to tell you herself." 

Mac could feel his eyebrows flying to his hairline. 

"Fine." Desi sighed and swiped her hair behind her ear. It was getting longer again. 

"How's Jack?" 

"He is fine. But. There's something else. The man that gave Matty the intel was ex-CIA. Turns out he had a beef with Jack when they worked at the agency. He was jealous that Jack got promoted to senior operative agent before him although he had more years and missions under his belt. And after he left the CIA, he joined the rogue group that stole the weapons. They also had someone, a chemist working for them. He planned to expand his business with drugs." 

"What's his name?" 

"Robert Strand. Turns out he succeeded with the drug. He didn't get to name it but it was something synthetic. And poisonous."

"What does that have to do with Jack?" 

"The guy that stabbed him had explicit instructions to do it. And to rub some of the drug on the blade. He used a very powerful paralytic to create the drug." 

Things suddenly slotted into pieces as Mac realized Jack was drugged-poisoned and that prevented him from moving. 

"Wh-" 

"He has been placed into a medically induced coma to counter the effects of the drug. He is fine. Don't worry." 

The tears reappeared and Mac wanted nothing more than to be able to see Jack, it hurt.

"Hey, Mac. He is okay. It's you we should worry about. You will have a nasty scar to your side from whatever it was they did to you. And the doc said it took him ages to close the wound. You have to stay calm. And lay down to rest. I'm sure Jack would be saying the same to you if he was here." 

_ And that's what it boiled down to. Jack not being there.  _

"What if he wakes up and I'm not there? Last he saw was the snot being kicked out of me. He'd freak out if I'm not around." 

"Dude, you just went through the wringer. He will understand. Please." 

And Desi almost never pleaded. It was what stopped Mac in his tracks and he exhaled. She was probably right. But what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her. 

(Mac was reminded of the devil emoji Desi used frequently in her messages and how he was going to be the embodiment of said emoji when Desi was going to eventually leave the room). 

"Okay." 

Mac faked a yawn, which looked true enough to Desi it seemed. 

"Well then, genius, I'll leave you to nap a bit. Gonna go to see if Riley wants to get coffee. Bozer is with Matty at the Phoenix."

"'Kay." 

"Don't do anything stupid until I get back, yeah?" 

Desi ruffled his hair and Mac mock-glared at her and she smiled sweetly at him. He knew it was a real smile because he could recognize the saccharine smile she used on people that annoyed her and while undercover and this wasn't it. Him and Desi came a long way from how they started. He was glad she was having his back as well.

"Thanks, Dez." 

"Don't mention it." 

...

Half an hour later, Desi found Mac in Jack's room, God only knew how he managed to get there or to learn the room number. Desi had a momentary scare when she got to Mac's room and found the room empty, before heading down to Jack's room. 

Mac was contorted into a shape that probably wasn't comfortable and was going to be hell on him once he woke up. But he was snuggled into Jack as much as he could with the bed rail between his body and Jack and his hair was falling into his eyes. He snuffled sleepily and moved closer to Jack. 

What was the most surprising though, was that Jack's hand was right on top of Mac's head. So unless Mac put it there, Jack was coming around. 

_ Who knew it would take only Mac to be around, safe and close to him to pull Jack from the coma? _

_ Oh Dalton, you've become a softie in your old age.  _

Desi pulled out her phone and took a pic, for blackmailing purposes, of course. 

(It wasn't like she had a folder full of candids like this one. No, Sir.)

...

***Present day***

"Shh, shh, it's okay." 

Mac was trembling in Jack's arms and Jack continued to run his hands up and down Mac's back. The kid was tense and Jack wanted to wrap him in a bubble wrap and never let go. 

"I'm sorry. Please don't be mad. I'm so sorry." 

"Mac, I'm not mad." 

But Mac wasn't listening. He was repeating the same over and over again, breath hitching and almost catching on a sob. 

"Mac, Mac, hey, calm down." Jack spoke in a calm voice that he used on spooked horses at the ranch and small children. 

(He picked it up from his cousin Nick over the years. Nick was always the empath out of the two of them and he taught Jack so much despite being younger. Jack had never been more grateful for it).

"I am not mad, bud. I am not. Can we sit down?" 

Mac nodded frantically, but then hissed when the movement jarred the bruises on his neck and jaw. 

"No sudden movements. C'mere." 

Mac let himself be led to the couch and Jack wanted to go and straight up strangle Robert Strand, but Matty promised him that Strand would face a large sentence for treason, arms dealing and production and distribution of drugs and psychotropic substances. The bastard was selling state secrets on the side as well. In Jack's opinion he was better off in a prison than meeting Jack's wrath. It didn't matter what happened to him. The second Strand ordered his men to take Mac, Strand signed his death sentence if Jack caught up to him. 

Once Jack woke up in the hospital, he was so out of it he didn't notice at first. But then it became clear that Mac was choosing the darker corners of Jack's hospital room and then he started wearing scarves. Which he never did. Mac was known to wear many layers of clothes, but scarves were never part of his wardrobe. One of them looked suspiciously like the scarf Momma made for him that Riley stole a couple of years ago, even.

Mac was getting calmer, but he was still not looking at Jack. His hands were fidgeting and Jack took a few paperclips from the box on the table and handed them to Mac. Mac busied himself with them and Jack could tell he was gearing up to say something. 

"I didn't want you to worry. I knew you would, you always do. Even when you are hurt worse than me." 

Jack could argue about that because Mac was the one that ended up with a concussion, busted ribs and that wound on his right side, but he held his tongue behind his teeth. He would be a hypocrite if he listed Mac's injuries and disregarded his own that landed him in the hospital for five days straight. 

"I already had the stubble when we started the mission so after I saw the way I looked... where he grabbed me on the jaw... I knew if I shaved they'd be visible. It was... I decided that on a whim. Sorry." 

"Oh, Mac. I'm so sorry that you thought you should hide them from me." Jack risked putting a hand on Mac's shoulder, but Mac only moved towards the touch. 

"I..." 

"I know you are sorry. And I understand why you did it. But you gotta know something, bud. No injury, no matter how big or small it is would prevent me from worrying about you. It's default for me, kid. Taking care of you. I love you too much for not putting you first." 

Mac's eyes were glistening with tears and he looked ready to crumple. 

"I was so worried about you. Didn't want to add to how you were feeling already." 

Jack sighed and looked at the angry red marks on Mac's neck and the bruises on his jaw that despite the stubble were visible if you knew where to look for them. 

They both had a scare with how close they came to thinking they lost each other. 

"You should never hide from me, hoss. I want you to know that. Okay?" 

Mac nodded, but he still looked like a kicked puppy. 

Gradually he shifted more until he was pressed to Jack's uninjured side and carefully settled into the couch, his head flopping down on Jack's shoulder. 

Jack chuckled. 

He reached for Mac's neck unconsciously and Mac recoiled before remembering it was Jack and then letting Jack take his scarf off. 

"I think it's too hot for this, son, even for you. I say we take it off, hm?" 

"Yeah, good idea." 

Jack removed the scarf and set it on the couch. Mac hadn't moved, yet and appeared to be deep in thought. 

"I thought I lost you when they took me. I tried so hard to get out. It was scary."

"I was scared, too." Jack pulled him closer. "I was so scared about what they were going to do to you. But I couldn't move. Couldn't stop them.” 

"Not your fault, Jack." 

"Still. We fell right into the trap. And I let them take you." 

"You didn't. You had no choice. You were incapacitated." 

"True. Can we agree on not scaring each other in the near future? 'Cause I don't know about you, but I got enough fear to get me through several months of nightmares." 

"Same." 

Mac sighed and burrowed his head deeper into Jack's shoulder. Jack settled against the couch and pulled Mac tighter to him. 

"I'm glad you are alive, hoss." 

"You too, Jack. You too."

**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts?


End file.
